Jute

Surely the broadcaster would have to speak to the rights owners i.e. the old firm and not the SPL.

From the list on Wiki they are not although some still have to play 2nd round matches so may get put out. List looks like someone has just picked out all the well know teams out of the list of possible teams.

Few of us heading down but not as many as I thought would have.

On to the next target please.

Never took you for the stalker type.

They would be against it as it would mean the death of their team. Most I have spoken to do think a shared stadium is a good idea but they would fight tooth and nail against any merger in the same way I am sure you would fight any suggested merger that would see the Dons losing their identity.

As long as he stays fit then could be a decent signing but his recent injury record is not great.

Do not think that has been a consideration for a long time. Have never heard it raised by anyone I know who supported either team. As for the crowds it is not total pie in the sky to look to double the current average gate to only 6,000. For starters Crowds will be boosted by games against the infirm, Us and possibly derby matches against both Arabs and St J. All will see them getting far bigger away supports in the ground than they currently get in the first division so average gate will increase from that alone.

Shamless stole this of Dundee Mad. Interview with the chairman that explains what there up to. Calum Melville Interview June 3rd 2009 H: Good morning Calum thanks for agreeing to answer our questions CM: No problem but before we begin can I just say that I'm already married and can't take anyone up on their offer!! H: So you've been on the site then?? CM: Yes I had a look last night to check for ambushes!! H: So can we start by asking how did you get involved in Dundee FC and why? CM: Well a lot of it was down to timing. I'm a football fan first and foremost, Scotland fan and Aberdeen fan. I love football. We had just divested a couple of our companies and I was looking for something to get my teeth into. I had no interest in getting involved in Aberdeen mainly because I live here and secondly because I couldn't really take them forward to the extent that the fans there would want. Stewart Milne does a fantastic job there but gets little credit. Also I've never been invited to get involved there. Dundee is a proper football club, an hour from home and the opportunity came up. H: So it really was as simple as reading the Sunday times and seeing the advert? CM: Yes basically the timing was perfect for me. I arranged to meet the other board members and took it from there. It had been at the back of my mind to get involved in football and when I met them we all gelled. It's very important that we are all pulling in the same direction. We are all there to benefit the football club. H: Are there any plans to get other directors on board in a similar fashion? CM: They'd need to be the right person for the club. Being a director at Dens has it's responsibilities. There is a huge social responsibility to the club, to the area and we are collectively and individually responsible for taking this club forward. Of course we are always looking for additional people who can bring something to the table but the current board gets on well and they would need to buy into that. It is a big step becoming a director at a club like Dundee. H: Previous directors have stated that Dee4Life owning 26% of the club is a disincentive to getting involved. The "veto" is too much if you like. What's your thoughts on fans owning part of the club? CM: It's a fantastic thing that there is a fans rep on the board and that the fans have so much involvement. It's their club. George does a 1st class job as a full board member. He works hard like everyone else. It is a great thing that fans have true ownership over the future of the club. It's also a very good model for other clubs in getting fans involved. H: Tell us, if the opportunity came in some form to get involved with Aberdeen FC what would your thoughts be on that? CM: As I've said previously I am committed to Dundee Football Club. All other clubs become irrelevant in this situation. I want to help take Dundee FC forward. Nothing else is important and as I've already said Stewart Milne does a great job there. People there really underestimate what he does for them. H: Moving on to our debt situation....... CM: Can I state quite clearly there is no debt. There is no borrowing, no money owed to the banks. There was no money borrowed to buy players and no debt to a bank or me. H: So the current purchases will not show on the balance sheet as a loan from yourself or any other such vehicle? CM: Absolutely not. Can I just make it clear that Dundee FC own Gary Harkins, Leigh Griffiths and all the other players. Bob Brannan and Ian Bodie have done a fantastic job in getting the debt down and then off the books altogether. I am here to help and whether that help is financial, time or just enthusiasm I am here to complement the other board members. Not to take over. Not to loan money but to help. Of course if we sold a player for say £1 million and the club was in a position to give me some money back I'd be daft not to accept but nowhere is it written up as a loan or anything like that. H: What is the current situation with the ground? CM: There is an agreement in place for me to buy the ground for the benefit of the club. The Sale/Purchase Agreement is with my lawyer just now and it should all be tied up by the end of July. These things take time and being frank I go on holiday next week for a fortnight so that will hold it up. I'd imagine the end of July will be the latest time it will be sorted. H: So when we play Morton at Dens the ground will be owned by the club? CM: Absolutely yes. H: Again talking about reports elsewhere can the club sustain the players wages if you were not there? CM: Yes. This is not a Gretna situation. This club is only sustainable in the long run in the SPL and that is where we need to be. We can pay good money now so imagine doubling the crowds and having SPL football to offer. We are aiming for regular 4th to 8th place in that league. I need to make it clear the players joining the club just now, they are not mercenaries. They are not being paid SPL wages they are being paid good 1st Division wages. There are fantastic bonuses in place for success in this league and to get out of it. They are buying into the idea that this club wants success and so do they. Of course some may see it as a stepping stone to greater things and why shouldn't they? But for now they are ambitious guys, not ones finishing their careers but starting them. Guys who are hungry, who want to be winners. They get 1st Division wages now with built in SPL wages after promotion. They are buying into the opportunity we are giving them. The board, the fans, the backroom staff and the players, we are all in this together. Everyone wants to see this club back in the SPL. H: Going back to the ground, any South Enclosure plans? CM: Not in the immediate short term no. Ian and I looked at the finances. The two most important things are the squad and ground ownership. We'll have dealt with both by the end of the month. The ground is adequate for now and when we get to the SPL the south enclosure is unacceptable and needs looked at. We have other priorities today though. H: In terms of priority where does youth development come in? CM: Huge priority; not only youth development but also getting kids involved in and supporting the club. We are in the process of setting up a charitable trust, DFC in the Community, that will see Dee Promotions, a new Business Club and the fans groups (working in unison) all working collectively, under the umbrella of the club, targeting to raise approx. quarter of a million pounds to completely fund the entire youth infrastructure ....from Pee Wee's to the Under 19's. This is a significant undertaking, and although I'm aware of some previous issues, they look to be in the past and is again another great example of everyone now all pulling in the same direction. Youth development is vitally important to clubs like ours. We need to bring our own players through and there has been a reversal on cutbacks and the The Board have just approved another full-time Community Coach which will be in addition to Craig Feret who is already doing a magnificent job. In addition to our own playing staff we are committed to the city in terms of initiatives like DFC In The Community which will get kids to come and watch the team. You have to get in there early. This is crucial and the Board have already discussed this at length and will be launching various initiatives from the start of the season that will include donating free tickets to schoolkids and looking to enhance match-day activities. Dee 4 Life are also committed to supporting both matchday and community projects and initiatives I remember my first visit to Pittodrie as a boy and when I went into the ground it seemed to me to be as spectacular as the Bernabeau. Nearly everyone who gets hooked on football remembers why. We need to get more kids along and keep them interested in Dundee FC. We can do that by winning football matches. H: Changing direction, did you hear Craig Leveins comments about Dundee FC and unsustainability on the radio, mainly due to you not being a Dundee fan? CM: (Laughing) Yes I did and I don't think Craig understands what I was trying to say. If he looked around he'd see many clubs run by or owned by people who never supported them. Chelsea and Man Utd to name two. H: Don't forget the Chairman he liked so much..... CM: Well, i'm not keen on discussing other clubs but whats happened here is that Setanta has come full circle. I don't need to be the Chairman here to feel important. I'm here to help, that is all. Dundee FC is a proper football club and i'm enjoying being part of it. The team I supported is irrelevant to me now in this situation and I'll be there to see us beat Aberdeen on the 25th. H: This links us nicely to Wesolowski....are we interested in him? CM: Yes we are. He is also interested in coming to us but at the moment there are some obstacles, namely that he is so far outside our wage structure as to make it a non starter. It is exciting and remarkable that we can compete with SPL clubs for players such as this and the Setanta money that is not available to them now is making it possible to compete which we intend to do. Jocky Scott is building a team for the SPL, with 3 yr deals and players well capable of playing there now or in the future. Potentially our team can go straight from the 1st Division to compete well there with a couple of additions. That's our aim. H: To finish, we go back to the marriage offers. How can our posters progress this? CM: Well I've seen the posts and though i'm married if they want to send their pictures into Dens for my attention I'll have a look. I'd also ask that they wear hair gel as that seems important to some people just now.... H: Calum thanks very much for your time and for answering our questions... CM: No problem at all. As I said I'm not here to take over the club it's your club and I'm here to help however I can. End of Interview

New investor has allegedly clear the debt with the bank and bought the ground back as well. Transfer fees so far only total £265,000 so probably not actually spent that much money although amounts we can only dream of.

Agreed SPL should take this and run before they realise how pish Scottish football has become.

Remember reading that they have cleared their debt recently so administration is not likely to be on the card for a while yet.

Have also lost JDV from midfield and Vidal from defence who have not been replaced.

Miller in paper this morning saying only bringing in two maybe three players tops to replace the 5 that have left. Also saying cannot compete on wages offered to Hughes and only hope of him coming is if he comes here for football reasons.

According to todays daily retard he is going to Cardiff.

Went to Dunfermline after County before moving South.

Would not go that far but would agree that he is not of the level we should be looking at. Always looked pretty pish at Arabs. Surley we can do better than a guy freed from a team that finished 19th in the English 3rd division or are we really that skint.

:rofl2:

So where did you finish then?

Will be a hard player to replace. Could say that we will need two players to replace him as it leaves us short in defence and midfiled.

It will be Sky or nobody I suspect and even if it is Sky they will offer us next to fuck all and expect us to play whenever it suits them.

I also remember having to carry him to the bog so as would not vomit all over the familiy sitting next to us.

Could possibly be away in Europe on 6th August, Hull on the 9th August then away to Oslo on the 11th. Will be broke and fucked by the 15th.

Saw him play there for Scotland U21s a couple of times and has been excellent (penatly miss apart) in both games so can see that working. Do not think any of our current strikers get anywhere near enough goals especially from open play so think this is a position we desperately need to stengthen along with expereinced defender to play alongside Zander.